1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an Ethernet packet transmission apparatus and method, and more particularly, to an Ethernet packet transmission apparatus and method for effectively guaranteeing differentiated transmission performance on a packet-by-packet basis by classifying an Ethernet packet input to a system on a service or destination basis, assigning a priority label to the packets classified on a packet-by-packet basis, and respectively applying different drop rates to the packets.
2. Discussion of Related Art
In general, a conventional Ethernet packet transmission apparatus manages an Ethernet packet only on a port or destination basis. Accordingly, when a system is congested, entire groups of Ethernet packets classified on the port basis are dropped in an arbitrary manner, not on a packet-by-packet basis. Therefore, the conventional Ethernet packet transmission apparatus cannot guarantee transmission performance on a packet-by-packet basis, and accordingly, cannot provide differentiated service on a packet-by-packet basis.
However, the Ethernet packet transmission apparatus is being currently changed in structure so as to satisfy consumers' various requirements. Accordingly, differentiated service on a packet-by-packet basis should be secured so as to satisfy the consumers' various requirements and more efficiently utilize limited system resources.
In a conventional Ethernet packet transmission method for guaranteeing transmission performance, when the system fails or is congested, a pause frame signal is inserted into a Media Access Control (MAC) header, and the Ethernet packet is controlled and communicated using the inserted pause frame signal.
In the conventional Ethernet packet transmission method, when the pause frame signal is input from a neighboring node, packet transmission to a corresponding port is paused for a predetermined time. Accordingly, when packet transmission is paused for a long time, a phenomenon in which the Ethernet packet is dropped in an arbitrary manner at the port for receiving the pause frame signal occurs.
Accordingly, in a conventional flow control method using pause frame signal to control and communicate an Ethernet packet, when a specific node is congested, the Ethernet packet cannot be dropped in a selective manner. Therefore, the conventional flow control method has the disadvantage of being unable to guarantee transmission performance and provide differentiated service on a packet-by-packet basis.
Further, the conventional flow control method has another disadvantage in that even in an entire network for Ethernet packet transmission, it is difficult to effectively manage the entire network because each node has continuous congestion influence on neighboring nodes.